QUETTA, PAKISTAN — The BBC reports that the Chinese ambassador to Pakistan escaped injury when a car bomb devastated part of a luxury hotel in Quetta, a city near Pakistan's border with Afghanistan. <br /><br />The bomb exploded in the parking lot of the luxurious Serena Hotel in the evening of Wednesday 21 April, killing at least four people and injuring twelve. <br /><br />The Chinese ambassador was staying at the hotel, but officials say he was not there when the bomb exploded. <br /><br />Quetta is the capital of Balochistan, one of Pakistan's poorest provinces and home to several armed groups, including Islamic extremists and separatists. <br /><br />These militants want independence from the rest of Pakistan, and oppose major Chinese infrastructure projects in the area. <br /><br />Separatists were also blamed for an attack two years ago on a hotel at Gwadar, where a massive port project is being funded by China.<br /><br />The groups accuse the Pakistani government and China of exploiting Balochistan's gas and mineral wealth, as well as its strategic position, with little benefit to local people.
